"Dr. Grey?"
"Yes Chief?" Lexie answers and stops the charting she's doing in the pit.
"Why haven't you asked me about going to Maui for your sister's wedding?"
"Well Sir," Lexie begins, "I'm an intern - I really didn't think you'd give me the time off to go."
"Don't you want to go?"
"Of course I want to go. As you said, Meredith is my sister."
"This is a damned inconvenience," he snaps. "They couldn't be normal people and get married at home?"
Lexie swallows nervously. She takes a deep breath and says, "Sir, I don't need to go. My sister - umm... mine and Meredith's other sister - Molly. We're planning a Reception for Mer and Derek for when they get back. I'm fine with that - really."
"Is Molly going?"
"I don't know," Lexie stammers. "I mean, probably not but I don't know for sure. She has a family - her husband, two small children."
"Well hell," the Chief snaps. "Meredith can't get married without any family there! Her mom is gone, your dad is gone, your other sister isn't going." He sighs again, loud and irritated. "Grey," he snaps, "you're going to Maui for your sisters wedding."
"Thank you, Sir," Lexie states with a huge grin.
"You have three days - Friday, Saturday and Sunday. That's it - you leave from here for the airport and when you get back you come straight here."
"Yes Sir," Lexie beams, barely resisting the urge to jump up and down in excitement. "I'll sleep on the plane. It won't be a problem."
"It better not be," Chief Webber says and walks away.
*
"I can't believe Cristina is actually going to try to come out for our wedding," Meredith says and then giggles.
"What's funny?" Derek asks while he enjoys feeling Meredith rub the sunscreen into his back.
"Wedding," Meredith answers as she continues to rub the lotion in a massaging manner. "I still can't believe we're actually going to get married here. Next week. It's just kind of amazing."
Derek rolls over and pulls her down on top of him.
"Hey," she protests, "I just finished putting the sunscreen on you."
"So, you can do it again," he answers and kisses her.
"Do you think we'll always kiss so much?" Meredith asks and causes Derek to laugh.
"I hope so," he answers. "And us getting married really is amazing. I'd moved beyond the idea of marriage."
"I never thought about it," Meredith states.
"Ever?"
"Not really," Meredith answers. "I figured I'd be like my mom - married to my career. It seems weird that we've never had this discussion."
"Not really," Derek says with a shrug. "Things - including topics of conversation - happen when they're supposed to."
"Yeah," Meredith sighs. "Did you always know you wanted to get married?"
Derek absently plays with her hair and answers seriously, "My mom and dad had an amazing marriage. I saw the way they were together while I was growing up and knew I'd never want anything less. I almost blew that once - being involved with the wrong person."
"How involved?"
"I never asked her to marry me but we were together for six years."
"Six years? And you never wanted to marry her?"
"No," Derek answers with a shake of his head. "And it pissed her off. Understandable - I suppose. Addison and I definitely had things in common. We were both career driven and come from high profile, east coast families. She thought that was a good foundation for a life together and I didn't."
"So what happened?" Meredith asks, sitting up but staying next to him.
"I lost my sight," Derek answers.
"What?" Meredith asks, feeling her irrational jealousy replaced with anger.
"It was a messy situation and in the end she didn't want to be with me anymore."
"Because you lost your sight?" Meredith asks in a whisper.
"That and I really was an asshole to her at the end. I basically drove her away," Derek answers.
"That's crap," Meredith says angrily. "If she really loved you she would've stuck by you!"
"Exactly," Derek says with a huge grin on his face.
"You find it humorous?"
"Yes. I'm glad Addison left. You and I found one another and I don't question our love at all."
"Oh," Meredith answers, a slow smile crossing her face as the anger drains from her. "When you put it that way..."
"Things happen the way they're supposed to," he says again.
"Thankfully," Meredith answers, moving to lay beside Derek.